Wristbands formed by die cuts made in multi-ply forms so as to be processible by printers and especially laser printers are known in the art. One of the inventors herein is an inventor of a number of different wristband forms as shown in his prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,933,993, 6,000,160, 6,067,739, 6,438,881, 6,510,634, 6,748,687, 7,017,293 and 7,017,294, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Each of the wristbands disclosed in these prior patents are self laminating, meaning that they contain a laminate layer or ply which, when the wristband is separated from its carrier, may be folded over to encapsulate an imaging area typically defined by a die cut in a face stock ply. These imaging areas are desirably sized to extend along a substantial length thereof so as to provide “real estate” for receiving printed data. This printed data may include the patient's name, the attending doctor's name, a patient ID number, admission date, medical information such as special precaution concerns such as allergic reactions, etc., and even more recently a bar code which is swiped numerous times a day. Some are putting photo images of the patient in the imaging area, taking advantage of the recent advances in digital photographic technology. As a result of the desire to put ever increasing amounts of data and even images on the imaging area, the size including especially the length of the imaging area is desirably long.
Although this desire to provide maximum “real estate” for imaging leads to longer imaging areas, the anatomical limits of the patient's wrist around which the wristband wraps create some practical limitations to this length, even for adult sized wristbands. As the imaging area is typically made from a face stock or other print receptive material such as bond paper, it typically exhibits a relative stiffness when compared with the laminate backing ply. This relative stiffness helps the imaging area to lie flat against the wrist so as to enhance the readability of the data imaged onto it. However, as the imaging area is typically a single length of regularly sized face stock, formed into the shape of a rectangle with rounded corners, the imaging area can have a tendency to bow, or assume an arcuate shape, to more closely fit about the patient's wrist especially if the wristband is tightened close to the wrist. While this does present some inconvenience for a nurse or other medical professional seeking to read the information contained in the imaging area, it is more of a problem now that bar codes have come into common usage. That's because bar code readers are better able to accurately read when the bar code is lying flat and not on a curved surface.
In order to further improve on the good and valuable inventions previously developed, patented, and for which great commercial success has been achieved, the inventors herein have succeeded in designing a self laminating wristband along the lines of several of those disclosed and claimed in the patents mentioned above, except that the single imaging area has been formed, preferably, into two or more separated imaging areas. Between each pair of imaging areas, there is created a natural hinge or fold point therebetween which permits the wristband to bend around the wearer's wrist so that each imaging area lies flat against a portion of the wrist instead of “bowing” or even perhaps wrinkling or crinkling at a point of stress determined at random as the wristband is secured and tightened about the wrist. The space between the imaging areas is bridged by two layers of laminate, which necessarily is of a thinner dimension than that formed in the imaging areas as there is no face stock in the intervening space. The types of imaging areas preferably include a main area of larger length and one or more “side car” or auxiliary imaging areas spaced from the main area and arranged along the longitudinal axis of the wristband, or crossways to the wearer's wrist. Alternatively, multiple equally sized imaging areas may be provided. If two smaller auxiliary imaging areas are provided, they preferably are located on either side of the main imaging area.
This side car auxiliary imaging area is preferably a square, although it could be formed in any convenient shape as desired and to suit the individual application. For example, the auxiliary imaging area may be formed in the shape of a circle, or it may be intended to be merely decorative, or it may be intended to receive a trademark or logo or other indicia for identifying an organization or even the individual. This auxiliary imaging area may also be imprinted with any data, as desired or to suit individual needs. For example, the imaging area may be imprinted with a photo of the patient taken by a digital camera upon admission. Or the bar code identifying the patient may be imprinted there. Another example would be for “special precautions” flags or markers to be placed on the auxiliary area. Yet another use for this auxiliary imaging area may be to separate critical patient care data from administrative data. For example, legends such as “Do Not Resuscitate”, blood type information, or other important data may be separated from other administrative and identification data to guide the health care provider in the event of an emergency or the like. In other words, this area could be designated as a “look first” zone, and highlighted by the use of color to catch the nurse's eye.
To further implement this special precautions application, printed lines may define target areas of the face stock for adhering matching laminate portions peeled off the laminate ply of the form in which the wristband is carried. In one such example shown in greater detail below, three ellipses are defined by printed lines in the auxiliary imaging area which may be individually used. On the back of the laminate ply are a series of matching ellipses of different color with each color providing an indication of a different special caution condition. Although special precautions indicators are preferably applied prior to laminating the wristband, with this arrangement a special precautions indicator may be added after the wristband has been applied to the patient's wrist which eliminates the need to “re-band” the patient with a new wristband in those instances. There are other uses for the auxiliary imaging area, limited only by the imagination of the designer.
The wristband invention disclosed herein may be provided in a “sheetlet” or envelope sized page containing the wristband and perhaps an extender which, as is explained in the inventor's prior patents, may be used to extend the length of the wristband for those patients having particularly large wrists. Also disclosed herein is the wristband as provided in a “combo” or larger sized page combined with a matrix of a plurality of self adhering labels. Yet another embodiment is a page having four wristbands, two of adult size and two of infant size such as might be used in a maternity or pediatric ward of a medical facility. In these embodiments, the wristband is preferably defined by a plurality of die cuts formed in a two ply business form comprised of a page. The top ply is a face stock or imaging layer, the bottom ply is a laminate layer, and a layer of patterned adhesive joins the two layers. The die cuts are arranged to permit the separation of the unassembled wristband from the page in an assembly, with the laminate ply including a clamshell portion for folding over and encapsulating both imaging areas. In one embodiment shown, a pair of integrally formed, adhesive coated tabs at opposite ends of the wristband are used to attach the wristband to the wearer's wrist, as shown in the inventor's prior patents. In another embodiment, the wristband further includes a cinch attachment, again as is disclosed in several of the inventor's prior patents, generally comprising a strap or tail portion extending to one side of the imaging areas and a slot portion on the opposite side of the imaging areas and through which the tail portion is inserted for securing the wristband. Preferably, a patch of adhesive at the tip of the tail portion is then used to adhere it back onto itself after passing through the slot and finish the attachment of the wristband. The cinch is operably formed in the laminate ply alone.
While the principal advantages and features of the invention have been briefly explained above, a more thorough understanding of the invention may be attained through referring to the drawings and reading the description of the preferred embodiment below.